The Perseid meteor shower is here! With comet NEOWISE making its way out of the solar system, it’s time for a celestial representation caused by another comet. Persee meteors, caused by punctures left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, began to strike over the skies in late July and will peak in the pre-dawn hours of August 12th.
The Perseid meteor shower is often considered one of the best meteor showers of the year due to its high rates and comfortable temperatures in late summer. However, this year’s shower has the unfortunate circumstance of the Moon phase – last quarter – hindering the display of the shower, and reducing the visible meteors from more than 60 per hour to 15-20 per hour. But the Perseids are rich in bright meteors and fireworks, so it will still be worthwhile to go out in the early morning to catch some of nature’s fireworks.
In this 30-second exposure, a meteor stretches across the air during the annual Perseid meteor shower Friday, August 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. The Perseids appear every year in August as Earth winds through traces of debris left by an ancient comet. Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls
When should I search?
Make plans to stay up late on the night of August 11th or wake up in the morning of August 12th. The Perseids are best seen between about 2am your local time and breakfast. The moon rises around midnight, so its brightness affects the peak of viewing. Even though the phase and presence of the moon will keep the frequency of visible meteors lower, there is still almost one meteor in the peak every two minutes!
If those hours seem daunting, do not worry! You can go to dark, around 9pm local time, and see some Perseids. Just be assured that you will not see as much as you would if you had gone out in the early morning.
How can you see the Perseids if the weather does not cooperate where you are? A live broadcast of the meteorode of a camera around NASAThe Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, (if our weather cooperates!) Will be available on the NASA Meteor Watch Facebook starting at 11 a.m. CDT on August 11 and continuing until sunrise on August 12. Meteor videos recorded by the NASA All Sky Fireball Network are also available every morning; To identify Perseids in these videos, look for events named “PER.”
Why are they called Perseids?
All meteors connected to one particular shower have similar orbits, and they all appear to come from the same place in the air, called the radiant. Meteor showers take their name from the location of the jet. The ray of Perseid is in the constellation Perseus. In the same way, the Geminid meteor shower, observed every December, is named for a radiant wreath in the constellation Gemini.
How to Observe Perseids
If it is not cloudy, choose an observable spot away from bright lights, lie on your back and look up! You do not need any special equipment to view the Perseids – just your eyes. (Note that telescopes or binoculars are not recommended because of their small field of view.) Meteors can generally be seen in the open air, so you do not have to worry about looking in a particular direction.
While observing this month, not all meteors you see belong to the Perseid meteor shower. Some are sporadic background metrics. And some are from other weaker storms that are also currently active, including the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids, and the Kappa Cygnids. How can you tell if you’ve seen a Perseid? If you see a meteor, try to track it backwards. If you end up in the constellation Perseus, there’s a good chance you saw a Perseid. If constellations are not your forte, keep in mind that Perseids are some of the fastest meteors you will ever see!
Pro tip: Remember that your eyes are adjusted to the dark (it takes about 30 minutes) – you will see more meteors this way. Also try to stay away from your phone as viewing devices with bright screens will negatively affect your night vision and thus reduce the number of meteors you see!
Happy viewing!
